Shimmering Stars
by Raivenflight
Summary: Jessie is a kittypet, dreaming of a life outside of her housefolk den. When she finally breaks free, she finds the city outside is filled with danger. She'll make friends and enemies before joining the Clans... but who is that she-cat and why does she keep appearing? Jessie finds a good home in the Clans but will the she-cat bring down her new home?
1. Alliances & Prologue

Hiya, guys! This new story should be exciting so stick with me as I try and give you a new chapter at least twice a week. This first chapter is just gonna be the Alliances you need to know and prologue. Please review and follow! :D

 **Alliances:**

Jessie- A yellow-brown she-cat (honey-brown) with dark brown stripes and splotches. Her fur is short and her eyes are big and striking blue. She is curious and passionate, but ashamed of her partial kittypet life and always trying to prove she can be tough. She has a mysterious past and can't stand crossroads.

 **Loners:**

Barb- A funny and pleasurable big tom. He is long-furred, white with a big orange splotch on his back, pocketed with black stripes. This pattern is also on the top of his head and paws. His eyes are warm yellow.

 **ShadowClan:**

Leader:

Miststar- A confident and proud she-cat with a pelt like melting snow of creeping mist in white and all shades of grey. She puts on a cold show to the other Clans but she is actually very passionate about companionship and very accepting of others opinions. Her eyes are pale yellow but grow fiery as she becomes passionate.

Deputy:

Bankfoot- An experience, tough-fighting tom with a gray pelt and dark brown paws. He is large and well-muscled but very gentle and even lithe when he needs to be. His eyes are brown.

Medicine Cat:

Juniperleaf- A pleasant, gray and white she-cat who can be very comforting. Many cats she has a relaxing aura about her even. Her bright green eyes hide her inner pain at losing her previous apprentice to a tragic accident. Stonepaw is so happy she can't stay sad for long though.

Stonepaw- A small light grey tom with darker paws, tail tip, and ears. His nose and eyes are black and he is the new medicine cat apprentice, very curious and inquisitive. He is unsure of himself, but always impresses those around him.

 **ThunderClan:**

Leader:

Ledgestar- A thin but large tom with a medium orange-brown pelt all over. A single darker stripe runs down his back and colors the tips of his ears. He is an effective, if rather new, leader. Sometimes he over-reacts to situations but makes good decisions and is an excellent battle-planner. His eyes and amber.

Deputy:

Tripclaw- A black and orange striped she-cat with bright amber eyes. She is a bit of a trickster, she likes being thought of as slightly dangerous or precarious but would never do anything to hurt her clanmates. She believes the single most important thing in the forest is the warrior code.

Medicine Cat:

Leafcrinkle- A cranky tom that has a certain fondness for kits. His pelt is an ugly mixture of gray and muddy brown but his eyes and warm brown. He is an older medicine cat but refuses to take on an apprentice until he finds the right cat. He is very very talented and experienced, one of the best healers the forest has ever seen.

 **WindClan:**

Leader:

Duskstar- A medium-sized tom with much strength and speed. His pelt is black and dark grey except for his brown paws and bright amber eyes. He is thoughtful but knows when to take action and WindClan has thrived under his leadership.

Deputy:

Brackenfoot- A pale brown tom with darker brown, thin stripes and white paws and muzzle. He can be hasty to jump to conclusions but has the full trust of his clanmates and is an excellent hunter, as well as a father to seven kits, four of which are strong warriors. He has pale blue eyes.

Medicine Cat:

Dappleleaf- A white she-cat with black dappled patterns and bright blue eyes. She is very talented and observant but also forgetful. Many toms, in her Clan and out, wish she hadn't chosen to become a medicine cat due to her pretty looks and personality. Unbeknownst to them, that was one major reason she decided to become one.

 **RiverClan:**

Leader:

Sleekstar- A small, thin, short-furred she-cat, unusual for RiverClan, but an amazing fighter nonetheless. She is gray but in the water she looks like liquid silver. Her whiskers are extra long and her eyes are hard blue, commanding great respect from all the Clans.

Deputy:

Rocksplash- A large brown and gray tom with a fondness for his clanmates and sister Drizzledew. He has a healthy ambition to surpass Sleekstar who occasionally scares him with her rash decisions. His eyes are amber.

Medicine Cat:

Drizzledew- A pale brown she-cat with white spots and kind-hearted techniques. She is a very loyal follower of the warrior code and has amber eyes.

 _Prologue_

"No!" A snarl of anger and determination rang out in the stormy night. The pale brown she-cat trembled in the freezing rain, her paws numb and her pelt matted. A dark brown and black tom stood protectively in front of her, in just as bad shape. He was the one who had snarled at the huge silver and black she-cat facing them down critically. The brown she-cat crouched down and gently licked the head of the tiny kit huddled beneath her. The kit shivered in the cold and dripped sadly, wet from the thunderous, heavy rain. Looking up, the brown she-cat spotted hints of the moon behind the black clouds. A wind blew past, ruffling her fur and making her shudder.

"Leave us be!" the tom demanded, still staring down the huge silver she-cat. The she-cat eyed him coldly and padded forwards slowly.

"If you value your lives you will leave now without your kit." she mewed. The brown she-cat blinked slowly.

"We'll never leave our only kit behind." she hissed. The huge she-cat's eyes flashed and met the brown she-cat's, making her shrink back.

"You leave." the tom snarled. The silver she-cat glared down at him.

"Fine. You'll regret your choice." She started to turn away and the brown she-cat relaxed her posture a bit, allowing herself to take a breath. In a split second, though, she hostile she-cat spun around and leapt at the brown tom. The brown she-cat yowled as her mate went down to the ground, disappearing under the she-cat. She saw huge silver claws slash and a screech abruptly cut off, echoing in the empty woods. The brown she-cat stepped over her kit and nudged it towards the woods.

"Go little one!" she urged. The kit mewed and stumbled into the brush. "Run!" The brown she-cat turned just in time to duck a flying silver paw. She heard tiny paw steps race away behind her and breathed a sigh of relief.

"You'll pay for that." the silver she-cat hissed, flexing her blood-stained claws and lowered herself into a crouch. The brown she-cat trembled and hung her head.

"I know."

Then the huge she-cat leapt and one last screech split the night.


	2. Chapter 1

**Okay! Here we go, first chapter! It might be a little boring but put up with me please, it gets better fast! Enjoy!**

 _Chapter 1_

Jessie snuck around the edge of the room, staring at the huge housefolk door. Big clumsy feet stepped over to it and it swung open with a creak. Jessie braced herself to run for it but the housefolk was gone and the door closed before she could move. Sighing, she sat back and scratched at the annoyingly smooth pink bow tied around her neck. Her sharp claws pricked the surface, pulling threads free. She shrugged her shoulders, wanting to rip it off. A chirping noise made her ears prick up and she looked behind her, out the window where a bird was cleaning its feathers by the hard platter of seeds. It was early leaf-fall, the trees were turning orange and cold breezes brought the threat of leafbare. Jessie leapt up onto the windowsill, padding along its edge easily, and meowed loudly at the bird, trying to scare it off. Instead of flying, the bird only glanced up at her, blinked once, and went back to its bath. Jessie snarled in annoyance and clawed at the window before jumping down.

It was so boring here. She hated being a kittypet. She couldn't escape though. They kept her inside and wouldn't let her out. She yearned to race out that door but they always blocked her. Fed up, she padded over to a small pink blanket set out for her by the housefolk. She curled up on it, giving one of her paws a lick, and closed her eyes. Determined to shut out her reality.

Jessie raced out the door and was faced with beautiful, tall trees. Bird song washed over her and the wind swept through her fur, making her heart race. She took off like a bullet into the unknown, prey running past her, and leapt onto a tree trunk, clawing her way up quickly. As she reached the top she looked out over the endless wilderness and river snaking away towards the sunset. A sweet, thick scent filled the air and she followed her nose back down the tree to find a freshly killed mouse waiting for her at the bottom. It didn't smell like mouse, but she didn't care. She took a huge bite, savoring the thick and creamy texture… Wait, what?

Jessie jumped to her paws, her claws hooked in the blanket and her fur on end. She looked around, eyes wide, and settled down quickly, disappointment welling up in her. _Just a dream…_ She noticed the same thick scent and spotted a dish of cream set on the floor for her. She usually loved it, but the thought suddenly seemed revolting. She stuck her nose in the air and pranced past the dish. Suddenly, a shadow swooped down and two huge, clumsy hands grabbed her around her middle, tugging her skyward. Jessie let out a meow of terror and stretched for the ground. Her efforts were in vain though. The housefolk kit squealed with delight as it hugged Jessie tight and patted Jessie's head with one huge paw. Jessie stopped squirming and went limp and the kit jumped onto the couch and sat down. The kit picked up some square thing and started staring at it, it's attention fixed. Trying to be casual, Jessie stood up and padded away. Before she got a few steps in though, the kit put a hand in her way and scooped her closer again. Jessie gritted her teeth, the kit wanted her to stay and snuggle. Well, she didn't _want_ to! Jessie jumped over the kit's paw and ran to the other side of the room. The kit let out a sad mewl but didn't get up to follow her. Fed up, Jessie sat down and stared out the window, daydreaming of being on the other side. If she could just get out there, she'd run and run and never come back. Even if the only thing she knew of the outside world was what she'd seen outside the window and the little bits and pieces that remained of her memory of when she had been out there with her parents. She didn't remember that night she lost them well. She just knew there was another cat there that attacked them and that it had been raining very hard. She remembered the screeches and arriving at this very house in the dead of night, never to see her parents again. Jessie shook her head clearing her thoughts. One day she would get out there again. Even her brief memories painted it in much more greatness than her stupid housefolk den would ever have. She wanted to taste a real mouse. Climb a real tree. Gradually, Jessie slipped back into sleep.


	3. Chapter 2

Jessie awoke suddenly as a huge paw stroked her spine. She let out a meow in greeting, trying to be friendly, and the hands scooped her skywards, much to her annoyance. However, instead of carrying her to some other room, the clumsy feet stomped towards the entrance to the housefolk den. Jessie's spirits skyrocketed as the housefolk put its paw on the door and pushed it open. She was going outside! Dim sunlight streamed in as they stepped out and Jessie blinked rapidly, clearing her eyes, and gazed around, taking in as many new angles and scents as she could. It was starting to get dark, the sun was close to touching the horizon, but it was still plenty bright for Jessie to see everything. The biggest thing that stood out was the noise. Huge, hard beasts roared across thunderous paths up ahead and too many people to count were milling around. Jessie was so caught up in it, she jumped when the side of the nearby sleeping monster popped open. She meowed in fright as the housefolk pushed her inside and shut the beast up again. Jessie felt her heart racing as she scratched at the sides, frantically looking for a way out. A different side opened and the housefolk entered. It turned towards her and, seeing her scared, picked her up again and forced her into a small, hard box with holes in the sides. Jessie peered out as the door squeaked closed and the latch locked. Suddenly, the monster roared to life, making Jessie meow loudly and claw at the door. She pawed at part of the latch, making it loosen, but couldn't pop it open. With a lurtch, the monster started moving. Jessie stumbled back and hit the side of the cage, mewling sadly and hoping the housefolk would let her out. Unfortunately, it didn't. Instead, the monster rumbled along, through the town. Jessie crouched in the back of the cage, huddled down with her eyes shut tight, waiting for the monster to stop moving. When it finally shuddered to a halt, she was thrown forward, into the door again. The housefolk opened the monster up in the front and climbed out, letting a barrage of new smells assault Jessie's nose. Lots of different scents made her head spin but one in particular stood out, the scent of fear. She craned her neck to see through one of the slits in her cage and spotted another housefolk den up ahead. A large brown cat was being carried out by its housefolk, terror and numb pain obvious in its overwhelming fear-scent. Jessie heart raced as she panicked again. She could smell dog too inside the den, just as fearful as the cat. What would happen if she went in there? Surely her housefolk wouldn't let her get hurt… right? Jessie jumped as the monster opened up next to her and a huge paw reached in, squeezing the latch on the front of Jessie's cage. Jessie shrunk back as the paw reached in for her. She flattened her ears and hissed. As the paw hesitated Jessie, in a panic, leapt forward, biting it. The paw drew back and a yelp of pain came from the housefolk but Jessie didn't waste time to say sorry. She bolted out of the cage and leapt out of the monster, sprinting for some nearby bushes. She heard some housefolk yelling behind her but closed her eyes as branches and thorns ripped past her. One caught on her bow and she tugged at it, claws outstretched, until it ripped away from her neck, leaving her without a kittypet marker. She didn't have time to appreciate it though, Jessie kept running, as far as she could get from the fearsome den. As she burst through the other side of the bush she briefly noticed the sun halfway sunk over the trees. It would be getting dark soon. Where was she going? She slowed her breakneck pace as she rounded a corner into a damp alley. Padding forward slowly, she peered at the soggy housefolk boxes and littered rock floor. Suddenly, loud barking sounded behind her. Jessie jumped and spun around, eyes wide, to see a huge gray dog bearing down on her, it's teeth bared. Jessie rushed for the nearby fence, leaping at it and hurriedly clawed her way to the top, throwing herself down onto the other side. The logical part of her head knew the dog couldn't climb it but she kept running, further and further, her breath coming in short gasps. She spun around another corner and came face to face with a roaring black path, monsters running back and forth over it with loud noises. One charged past super close, making Jessie jump back in surprise, and it yowled at her, sloshing water from the street in a wave over her pelt. Jessie backed away from the path and ran in a different direction, her legs aching and her body shivering from the freezing water thrown over her thin fur. She scratched at the hard ground as she ran into a quieter section of the town and down a thin, black alley. The sun had sunk below the horizon now and the stars were out, shining down coldly. She skidded to a halt at the very end of the alley and ducked down into a soggy box in a dark corner. Inside, she huddled down and watched, eyes wide, as rain started to pour down outside. Eventually, her panic gave way to exhaustion and she slipped into a dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 3

Jessie opened her eyes slowly, blinking in the bright morning light. Cautious, she hauled herself to her paws, groaning softly as her sore limbs ached. Thoughts and scenes from the chaotic night before swirled through her head but she pushed them back and padded out of the box, into the alley. She stretched out some, loosening her muscles, and a luscious scent hit her mouth. Looking about, Jessie spotted a freshly-killed mouse lying outside of her box. Giving it a cautious sniff, she found another cat's scent on it. Had they left it there for her while she was sleeping? Why would they do that? She told herself she should leave it be, but just then her stomach gave a painful lurch and growled at her. She hadn't eaten in awhile. Unable to resist the devastating scent she leaned down and took a big bite, letting the warm musky flavor fill her mouth. As she swallowed she unconsciously gave a sigh of relief and quickly took another bite, finishing off the mouse quickly. Just as she was cleaning the last bit from her whiskers, a sound alerted her to the alley entrance. She stood and turned to see two cats pad around the corner, talking cheerfully. One was a just barely full grown she-cat and white with orange splotches and a delicate step. The other was huge and white, his long fur hanging down messily. A big orange spot was on his back, pocketed with black stripes, and the same pattern was on his face where two enormous yellow eyes glinted cheerfully. They noticed Jessie and their pace quickened to come standing in front of her.

"Hello there!" the she-cat greeting happily as they came to a stop. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. I'm fine… We're you the ones who left the mouse?" Jessie stammered.

"Course'." the tom purred. "You looked kinda pitiful in that box there so we figured you could use a free meal."

"Thanks." Jessie sighed, feeling relief replace her guilt. She looked back up to see the two cats staring at her expectantly. "Oh! I'm Jessie!" Jessie offered. "Who are you?"

"I'm Tracey." the she-cat mewed. "I live in the twoleg den across from yours. I see you staring out of your window sometimes. Don't your housefolk ever let you out?" Jessie shook her head sadly.

"Well that's just stupid. They should know you can't keep a cat cooped." Tracey sniffed. The tom took a step forward, purring in amusement.

"Well I don't _have_ any housefolk to worry about. It's much better that way. I don't see how you always stand to do what they want. My name's Barb. I live in my own den nearby. Tracey here found you this morning and came to find me for help."

"Thank you." Jessie said, suddenly realizing she'd probably be in quite the mess without them.

"Do you want me to show you back to your housefolk den?" Tracey meowed curiously. "I can show you mine too, maybe we can be friends since we're neighbors!"

"No thank you." Jessie said hurriedly, flicking her tail dismissively. "My housefolk kept me cooped up all the time, I don't want to go back…" she thought for a long moment. Where would she go? "I think I'll try and go to the forest." she decided. "If you could just point me in the right direction I'm sure I can make it. I was just frightened last night. I'll be fine." Tracey shrugged and turned to Barb.

"Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?" Barb asked, his head tilted. It looked a little funny, the huge tom in such a kit-like posture. Jessie might have laughed if she hadn't been so high-strung.

"I'm sure." Jessie said firmly.

"If you say so." Barb agreed, a trace of humor in his voice. He stood and started padding out of the alley. "Come on, I'll show you the way." Jessie felt her spirits raise as she jumped up and ran over to catch up with him.

"Thanks!" she looked over her shoulder where Tracey was licking a paw delicately and watching them go. "Bye, Tracey!"

"Bye, Jessie! Good luck!"

Jessie padded quicker, trying to make it to her destination before the sun set. Barb had pointed her in the right direction and now she was on her own again. She turned another corner to see a huge black path stretching out in front of her. Across it, the buildings and noise finally ended, giving way to dark forest. Jessie stretched forwards, flinching as a monster roared past, and looked out as far as she could into the unknown territory. Her paws itched to try stepping off the hard ground of the city and onto the grass and moss of the forest ahead. Just as she conjured up enough courage and moved a paw though, another monster roared past, quickly followed by another, and she leapt back, hissing. They were going _so fast!_ How would she ever make it across? She sat still and her paws started trembling at the thought. The monster-crossing path was incredibly daunting.

"You don't have any idea what you're doing do you?"

The familiar voice made Jessie jump and spin around, eyes wide. Barb was standing there, very silent for his huge size.

"Have you been following me?" she finally demanded, finding her voice.

"Yeah, sorry." Barb said, shrugging. "You didn't look very confident so I figured I had better make sure you crossed safely." he tilted his head in that curious fashion again when she didn't reply. " _So?_ Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"No!" Jessie snapped, her tail swishing back and forth behind her in anger and annoyance. "I don't okay? I barely managed making it all the way here through dogs and housefolk and now I'm faced with a- with a-" she hesitated for a moment, at a loss for words. "Whatever it is!" she spat, her fur prickled as it stood on end and she spun around, sitting angrily, her spine rigid.

"Hey, there." Barb soothed, his tone cool. "I wasn't trying to make you angry. I can help you cross if you want…" Jessie just sat there, fuming, until the silence became unbearable and she spun around again, mouth open to make another sharp comment. She froze, however, when she noticed that Barb had disappeared. Looking around, she finally spotted him on the far side of the monster-path, rolling happily in the grass. Jessie's mouth fell open. How had he made it across so fast? The huge tom rolled about blissfully for another long moment before getting up gleefully and padding back across the path. As he trotted up to Jessie, she noticed his self-satisfied smirk.

"It's called a thunderpath. So?" Barb asked, not unkindly. "Do you want help?" Jessie swallowed back the rock that had formed in her throat before replying.

"Yes… please. I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"That's okay." Barb purred. "I get it. Here, stay right next to me and we'll go across together."

"Okay." Jessie nodded and stepped close even though her heart started to pound so loud she was sure he could hear it. She was sure, there was _no_ way she could cross it. Barb took two steps onto the thunderpath and stopped, looking back at her.

"You coming?"

Jessie hesitated then hung her head. "No. I just can't do it. I'll-"

"Come with me." Barb said, padding past her in the opposite direction of the path. Unsure of what else she would do, Jessie followed close behind, glad to not have to cross the city alone at night again. It wasn't long before Barb stopped again and ducked under a hard, shiny fence. Jessie ducked under after him and raised her head in time to see him disappear down a hole in the patch of earth. She crouched down and hopped down, blinking in the dim light, and looked around. They were in a burrow, perhaps of a bigger animal a long time ago, there was plenty of room to move around and a high enough ceiling so even Barb didn't have to duck. In the back, a nest of straw was piled high. Barb tugged at it and took some out, piling it up again at the other side of the den.

"You can sleep here tonight." he said kindly. "Decide what to do tomorrow." Too worn-out to argue, Jessie flopped into the makeshift nest.

"Thank you, Barb." she mewed, closing her eyes. She heard him flop down into his nest.

"You're welcome, Jessie."

* * *

 **So! How did you guys like that? I really need some constructive criticism and encouragement for this story or it'll die and I really don't want it to. :( Please review and I promise to be more even in posting chapters! Have a great day/night!**


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